Saturday 7th April 1917

Scottish Camp, south-west of Brandhoek

Another bright and sunny, though cold, day. Alongside the usual training, there was much work to be done in cleaning and improving conditions in the camp which was found to be, “very dirty”. “NCO's received special training under Major Bathurst (see 22^nd March)”. A party of two officers and 75 other ranks was attached to 2^nd Canadian Tunnelling Company for duty; they joined the Canadians at their base at Reninghelst.

Pte. John Thomas Brady (see 6^th October 1916) was reported by CSM Valentine Curson (see 5^th  April) for “having an untidy bed in hut on inspection”; on the orders of Capt. Alfred Percy Harrison (see 5^th April) he was to be confined to barracks for three days.

Sgt. George Mitchell (see 19^th January) was temporarily posted to L Signals Battalion, Royal Engineers; his transfer seems to have been linked to his pre-war occupation as an electrician.

Pte. Clarence Hubert Bolt (see 22^nd February) was admitted via 69^th Field Ambulance to 23^rd Division Rest Station, suffering from “I.C.T.” (Inflammation of the connective tissue) to his right thumb; he would be treated for three weeks before being discharged and re-joining the Battalion.

Three officers left the Battalion having been taken ill. 2Lt. George Stuart Hulburd (see 2nd February) was one of the original officers of the Battalion but had been taken ill in May 1916 and had only re-joined the Battalion in January; he was again posted back to England, although the details of his illness have not been established. The nature of the illness suffered by 2Lt. Herbert Middleton (Bob) Hands (see 19^th December) is also unclear, but he too was posted back to England and was subsequently posted to 83^rd Training Reserve Battalion at Gateshead. 2Lt. Thomas Arnold Woodcock (see 14^th March), who had been with the Battalion for only three weeks, was suffering from abdominal pain and diarrhoea; he would be treated locally in the first instance.

2Lt. George Stuart Hulburd

Image by kind permission of Paddy Ireland

Pte. Joseph Barnes (see 12^th March) re-joined the Battalion; he had spent the previous three weeks at 7^th General Hospital at St. Omer being treated for german measles.

Pte. George Smith (20340) (see 11^th February) was also taken ill and posted back to England; he was suffering from an infection to his middle ear.

CSM Billy Oldfield MM (see 28^th March) reported to no.5 Officer Cadet Battalion in Cambridge to begin his officer training. 

CSM Billy Oldfield MM

Image by kind permission of Henry Bolton

Pte. Percival Victor Thomas (see 24^th January), serving with 28^th Battalion London Regiment (Artists Rifles) which was an officer training battalion, based at Richmond Park, reported for duty with no.7 Officer Cadet Battalion at Cambridge; he would later serve with 10DWR.

Cpl. William Johnson Simpson (see 7^th February), reported to no.20 Officer Cadet Battalion at Cookham to begin a course of officer training; once commissioned he would serve with 10DWR.

L.Cpl. Lawrence Tindill MM, 1^st/5^th Yorkshires; Sgt. Albert Joseph Acarnley, 2^nd Royal Berkshires; L.Cpl. Fred Dyson, 23^rd Northumberland Fusiliers (4^th Tyneside Scottish); and L.Cpl. Sam Benjamin Farrant, 2^nd Battalion East Lancs. (see 30^th March) all reported to no. 9 Officer Cadet Battalion at Gailes, Ayrshire, to begin their officer training. All of them would be commissioned and serve with 10DWR.

At home in Bradford, Edwin Dawson, the five-month old son of Pte. Edwin Dawson (see 11^th January) died; his cause of death was stated to have been ‘marasmus’, a form of malnutrition.